Coalition members accuse Shin Bet Director Bar of leading 'deep state coup' against 'people's government'

Following the announcement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding his decision on Sunday to fire Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar, and Bar’s statement of his decision to continue in his role, Israel is gearing up for another fight between coalition and opposition leaders. 

Opposition leaders and politicians were quick to support Bar’s decision, with many claiming that Netanyahu’s choice to dismiss Bar was due to the “Qatar-gate” investigation into alleged ties between Netanyahu aides and the State of Qatar. 

However, coalition politicians also responded to both announcements, with many accusing Bar of being part of a “deep state” effort to overthrow Netanyahu. 

The accusations of an attempted coup involving Bar had begun even before Netanyahu announced on Sunday his intention to fire Bar.

Knesset Member Avi Maoz accused the domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, of planning a coup against the government during an interview with the Kol Barama radio show last Tuesday. 

"For a year now, I have been calling for the dismissal of the Shin Bet head,” Maoz told the show hosts. “After the elections, I warned the prime minister that Shin Bet is working to overthrow the State of Israel.” 

Maoz’s warning was a result of discussions within the agency about how to respond if the political leadership in the Knesset began to “act against the justice system,” referring to the judicial reform overhaul attempted in 2023. 

“Two years ago, it was announced that the Shin Bet is holding discussions on how to act if the Knesset acts against the justice system,” Maoz continued.

“And I warned the prime minister about what is going on there. The body responsible for preserving Democracy is Shin Bet. Protection from whom? From those who want to destroy democracy. How does Shin Bet interpret this? That the political echelon wants to harm democracy.” 

Following Netanyahu’s announcement on Sunday that he is moving to fire Bar, Maoz posted on 𝕏, “This is what democracy looks like. This is how you defeat the Deep State.” 

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi of the Likud party called the dismissal of Bar "an existential and immediate necessity."

He accused Bar of having made himself "a dictator with the backing of the attorney general. Bar is one of the main people responsible for the October 7th disaster, and now he continues to undermine Israel's security and erode democracy under the guise of security authority. His dismissal is a vital step to restoring public trust and stopping the erosion of the foundations of Israeli democracy."

In another post on 𝕏, Karhi wrote: "In a democracy, the people are the sovereign through their elected representatives. Not the 'right-thinking people,' not a detached legal clique, not the elite, nor the failed bureaucrats who hold the horns of the altar."

Netanyahu’s announcement drew a quick reaction from Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, who sent a letter to the prime minister instructing him to wait until the investigation into the dismissal decision is complete before proceeding with Bar's removal.

Otherwise, the attorney general said, it could represent a conflict of interest due to the Qatar investigation being carried out by Shin Bet officials. 

Coalition politicians like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and former National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir were quick to applaud the decision to fire Bar. 

Smotrich posted a message praising the decision on 𝕏, stating, “Better late than never. Replacing the head of the Shin Bet is a necessary and desirable step.” 

“It would have been appropriate for the head of Shin Bet to take real responsibility and resign on his own initiative more than a year ago, saving the need for his removal,” he continued.

“After such a fundamental failure as the one that occurred on Simchat Torah Day, responsibility requires that he vacate the position long ago. His clinging to the chair and the reasons given for this in public and in briefings are impudence, arrogance, and the most anti-democratic thing that can be.” 

Ben Gvir, who regularly clashed with both Bar and Baharav-Miara, also praised the decision in a post on 𝕏. 

“I congratulate the Prime Minister on the decision to fire the head of the Shin Bet. This is something I have been demanding for a long time, and better late than never,” Ben Gvir wrote. “There is no place in a democratic country for officials who behave politically in a way that is hostile to elected officials.” 

Ben Gvir also referenced the “deep state,” tying it to the political opposition that U.S. President Donald Trump has faced. 

“The right must learn from President Trump to eradicate the Deep State, to conduct itself like a democracy, and to restore public trust in the security and legal bodies in the State of Israel.” 

Opposition politicians accused Netanyahu of hypocrisy for demanding the Shin Bet chief's resignation for the intelligence and security failures of Oct. 7, 2023, despite Bar leading a Shin Bet probe and admitting his responsibility. Meanwhile, Netanyahu has continued to refuse calls for an independent state inquiry into the massacre. 

Opposition leader Yair Lapid said, “All the slander and all the attempts to shift responsibility for the failure onto the security system will not help Netanyahu. He is primarily responsible for the failure and disaster of October 7, and that is all that will be remembered of him.”